South Pointe claims clutch win over Catawba Ridge with a moment players dream of
Of course it came down to this.
Of course the most consequential game in York County on Friday night — the game between established 4A power South Pointe and up-and-comer Catawba Ridge in Fort Mill — came down to the motherload of crunch-time situations. The type of situation players dream about and for.
Fourth down. Ten yards and some change to go. A minute left. Catawba Ridge, the team hoping to break the Stallions’ 40-game region winning streak, was down three points and just out of field goal range.
And of course it ended as dramatically as it did.
Catawba Ridge quarterback Jadyn Davis, the No. 1-ranked 2024 prospect in the country, took a snap, scrambled to his right and flung a pass toward the right sideline. The ball was then tipped in the air and somehow found the outstretched arms of South Pointe’s full-time receiver and (apparently) part-time defensive back Waymond Jenerette. And once Jenerette intercepted it, he ran and ran and ran — nearly 70 yards back for a South Pointe touchdown.
28-18, South Pointe up.
After a few final futile plays from Catawba Ridge, that’s how the game would end.
“When the ball got tipped, I was like, ‘I gotta catch this no matter what,’ ” Jenerette told The Herald with a big smile. “I didn’t even care about scoring in that moment. I was just like, ‘I gotta catch this ball.’ And then when I started running, I was like, ‘All I see is green.’
“So yeah it was crazy. But that’s what South Pointe football is all about.”
After the game, South Pointe head coach DeVonte Holloman flashed a smile when asked about his senior playmaker: Of course it had to be Jenerette, right coach?
“Again, I’ve said it earlier, he’s a kid that I’ve been on pretty tough since the start of spring football, really, and we just kind of just threw him out there on defense,” Holloman told reporters. “He’s been saying he’s a DB, and the moment came and we’re missing a couple guys, and we threw him out there at free safety, and players make plays.
“And he did that again tonight.”
The Stallions (4-1) won their 41st consecutive region game dating back to 2013. They’re now in the front seat for taking the 3-4A crown.
And although the win wasn’t decided in one play — a relentless South Pointe pass rush kept Catawba Ridge guessing, an imperfect but worthy and resilient performance by quarterback Zay McCrorey kept the Stallions always within arm’s length — it sure felt like it.
“I think mentally we’ve taken a step forward from where we were last year as a team,” Holloman said. “Those guys understand that there are highs and lows in a football game and good plays and bad plays, and all we gotta do is go and make the next play, and make one or two more plays than the other team.”
South Pointe, Catawba Ridge battled all game long
It didn’t always look like South Pointe would emerge out of Fort Mill with a win: Catawba Ridge began the game’s scoring with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter via a fake toss and QB Davis misdirection run for 17 yards and a touchdown. A blocked PAT put the game at 6-0, Catawba Ridge up.
South Pointe responded late in the second quarter — thanks to an acrobatic interception by Chris McCullough, which was then capitalized on plays later by a 63-yard touchdown connection between McCrorey and sophomore receiver Demari Kendrick. 7-6, South Pointe.
And then right before the half, another turnover turned into Stallion points — this time a 17-yard touchdown reception from Jakhari Webb to extend South Pointe’s lead to 14-6.
“We’ve been preaching turnovers,” Holloman said, “and that helped us out early.
Neither team would let up. The lead changed twice more: Catawba Ridge scored 12 unanswered points (another Davis rushing touchdown and then a running back Tyler Jones scamper) to put the game at 18-14. And then South Pointe responded with a drive of its own — one that featured a 31-yard catch from WR Webb and a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Caleb Sims. 21-18.
The clock then bled. The game’s suspense grew. With just over four minutes left in the game, Catawba Ridge drove all the way to the South Pointe 1-yard line, but the Stallions’ defensive line prevailed and forced Catawba Ridge to kick a field goal.
And the kick, which would’ve tied the game at 21, sailed wide right.
Then came a South Pointe punt. That aforementioned Jenerette interception. That Jenerette touchdown.
And the end of a magnificent game.
“They showed a lot of fight,” Catawba Ridge head coach Zac Lendyak told The Herald postgame. “They showed a lot of commitment to the game plan. We talked all bye week and all this week, you know: This is what we want to establish ourselves as. We played really well and gave ourselves a shot to win.”
Stallion, Copperhead leaders
South Pointe was led by Jenerette, who caught six passes for 93 yards, and Kendrick, who caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. McCrorey went 16 of 25 through the air for 231 yards but was sacked nine times (the same amount of times in last week’s loss to Spring Valley).
Catawba Ridge was led by Jones, who took 25 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown, and Davis, who ran for two touchdowns and completed 14 of 27 passes for 173 yards and added two interceptions. Trevor Testerman caught six passes for 101 yards.
Before running off to talk to his family and then into the locker room, Friday’s hero let out an easy-going smile and shouted out his offensive and defensive teammates for making plays all night.
And then, just like on the field, Jenerette had a triumphant last word about his team: “(Tonight) showed we’re great at facing adversity. Great at facing adversity. That’s all I gotta say.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 12:42 AM.
.jpeg)